ANTENNA SELECTION BASED ON PERFORMANCE METRICS IN A WIRELESS DEVICE

• US 20110249576A1
• Filed: 10/07/2010
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Chrisikos, George, Wietfeldt, Richard Dominic
• Application Number:
  US12/900,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20110249576A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/14 Length of element or elements adjustable telescopic elements H01Q1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/21 for calibration; for correcting measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0608 Antenna selection according to transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0691 using subgroups of transmit antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0805 with single receiver and antenna switching H04B7/0822 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0834 based on external parameters, e.g. subscriber speed or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0874 using subgroups of receive antennas

Abstract

Techniques for supporting a plurality of radios on a wireless device with a limited number of antennas are described. In one design, at least one radio may be selected from among the plurality of radios on the wireless device. At least one performance metric may be determined and may include a performance metric related to isolation between antennas, or correlation between antennas, or throughput, or link capacity, or interference, or power consumption of the wireless device, or received signal quality at the wireless device. In one design, an objective function may be determined based on the at least one performance metric. At least one antenna may be selected for the at least one radio from among a plurality of antennas based on the at least one performance metric, e.g., based on the objective function. The at least one radio may be connected to the at least one antenna.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

selecting at least one radio from among a plurality of radios on a wireless device;

determining at least one performance metric;

selecting at least one antenna for the at least one radio from among a plurality of antennas based on the at least one performance metric; and

connecting the at least one radio to the at least one antenna.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an objective function based on the at least one performance metric; and

selecting the at least one antenna based on the objective function.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one performance metric comprises a plurality of performance metrics, and wherein the objective function comprises a weighted sum of the plurality of performance metrics.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one performance metric comprises a performance metric related to isolation between antennas or correlation between antennas.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one performance metric comprises a performance metric related to throughput, or link capacity, or interference, or power consumption of the wireless device, or received signal quality at the wireless device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one performance metric comprises a performance metric related to a normalized ratio of achievable throughput to average throughput for each of a plurality of radio-antenna combinations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one radio is selected from among the plurality of radios or the at least one antenna is selected from among the plurality of antennas based further on at least one constraint.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one constraint comprises a constraint for a particular minimum throughput for each radio or each set of radios, or for transmit power of each radio being limited to a range of values, or for a particular minimum or maximum number of antennas for each radio or each set of radios.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the determining at least one performance metric and the selecting at least one antenna periodically or when triggered by an event.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the determining at least one performance metric and the selecting at least one antenna iteratively.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting one or more antennas initially for the at least one radio; and

connecting the at least one radio to the one or more antennas, and

wherein the at least one performance metric is determined with the one or more antennas being used for the at least one radio.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more antennas are initially selected based on isolation between antennas, or correlation between antennas, or both.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more antennas are initially selected based on interference, or priorities of the plurality of antennas, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of antennas are available for use for the plurality of radios on the wireless device, and wherein the determining the at least one performance metric and the selecting the at least one antenna are performed globally for all of the plurality of radios.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of antennas are available for a particular radio on the wireless device, and wherein the determining the at least one performance metric and the selecting the at least one antenna are performed locally for the particular radio.

16. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for selecting at least one radio from among a plurality of radios on a wireless device;

means for determining at least one performance metric;

means for selecting at least one antenna for the at least one radio from among a plurality of antennas based on the at least one performance metric; and

means for connecting the at least one radio to the at least one antenna.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

means for determining an objective function based on the at least one performance metric; and

means for selecting the at least one antenna based on the objective function.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one performance metric comprises a performance metric related to isolation between antennas or correlation between antennas.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one performance metric comprises a performance metric related to throughput, or link capacity, or interference, or power consumption of the wireless device, or received signal quality at the wireless device.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

means for performing the determining at least one performance metric and the selecting at least one antenna periodically or when triggered by an event.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

means for selecting one or more antennas initially for the at least one radio; and

means for connecting the at least one radio to the one or more antennas, and

wherein the at least one performance metric is determined with the one or more antennas being used for the at least one radio.

22. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one processor configured to select at least one radio from among a plurality of radios on a wireless device, to determine at least one performance metric, to select at least one antenna for the at least one radio from among a plurality of antennas based on the at least one performance metric, and to connect the at least one radio to the at least one antenna.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine an objective function based on the at least one performance metric, and to select the at least one antenna based on the objective function.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one performance metric comprises a performance metric related to isolation between antennas or correlation between antennas.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one performance metric comprises a performance metric related to throughput, or link capacity, or interference, or power consumption of the wireless device, or received signal quality at the wireless device.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the at least one performance metric and to select the at least one antenna periodically or when triggered by an event.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one processor is configured to select one or more antennas initially for the at least one radio, to connect the at least one radio to the one or more antennas, and to determine the at least one performance metric with the one or more antennas being used for the at least one radio.

28. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to select at least one radio from among a plurality of radios on a wireless device,

code for causing the at least one computer to determine at least one performance metric,

code for causing the at least one computer to select at least one antenna for the at least one radio from among a plurality of antennas based on the at least one performance metric, and

code for causing the at least one computer to connect the at least one radio to the at least one antenna.